Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics: The Challenge of Complexity to Ways of Thinking about Organisations, Sixth Edition

556 Pages·2011·2.44 MB·English

by  Ralph D. Stacey

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
and
ORGANISATIONAL DYNAMICS T O S
h
e R T
C G R
The Challenge of Complexity h A A
a T
N
ll E
e I
RALPH D. STACEY n S G
g A I
e C
6th Edition T
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f I M
O
C
o N A
m A N
‘Stacey’s defining strength is his critical approach, which challenges students to make sense of contested p L A
l
knowledge. His passionate interest in the subject is reflected in the dynamic and exciting development e G
x D
of the text and communicated through a remarkably clear writing style.’ i E
t Y
y M
Steve Hills, Sheffield Hallam University N
A E
‘Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics is a landmark academic text. As well as continuing to M N
offer a well-argued critique of conventional management wisdom, it provides a unique and authoritative treatise T
I
on what is a truly distinctive application of the complexity sciences to organizational leadership and change.’ C
a
S n
Chris Rodgers, organizational consultant and author of Informal Coalitions
d

Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics remains unique amongst strategic management textbooks
by taking a refreshingly alternative look at the subject. Stacey challenges the conceptual orthodoxy of planned
strategy, focusing instead on the influence of more complex and unstable forces in the development of strategy.
Ideal for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate study, this critically detailed account deals with current
issues, raising the challenge of complexity within practice and theory. R
A
L
New to this edition: P
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• A new introduction outlining the book’s unique approach and remit.

• A new chapter on dominant discourse and what evidence there is for its prescriptions. D
.
• A new chapter which blends second order systems thinking and communities of practice
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with new material on social constructionist approaches and labour process theory.
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• A focus on what strategic management might mean from the perspective of complex responsive processes. A
C
E
Ralph D. Stacey is Professor of Management at the Business School, University of Hertfordshire. He is a Y
supervisor on the innovative Doctor of Management programme at the University of Hertfordshire and author of
a number of books and papers on complexity and organisation.
6th
Edition
Adrian Stacey Coral Picture ©
www.pearson-books.com
Ocean Picture iStockphoto ©
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Strategic management and organisational dynamics
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Strategic management
and organisational
dynamics
The challenge of complexity
to ways of thinking about
organisations
Sixth Edition
Ralph D. Stacey
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Pearson Education Limited
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow
Essex CM20 2JE
England
and Associated Companies throughout the world
Visit us on the World Wide Web at:
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First published under the Pitman Publishing imprint 1993
Second edition published 1996
Third edition published 2000
Fourth edition published 2003
Fifth edition published 2007
Sixth edition published 2011
© Ralph D. Stacey 1993, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011
The right of Ralph D. Stacey to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
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Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
All trademarks used therein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any trade-
mark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership rights in
such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affiliation with or endorse-
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Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third party internet sites.
ISBN 978-0-273-72559-6
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record f or this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stacey, Ralph D.
Strategic management and organisational dynamics : the challenge of complexity to ways
of thinking about organisations / Ralph D. Stacey. – 6th ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-273-72559-6 (pbk.)
1. Strategic planning. 2. Organizational behavior. I. Title.
HD30.28.S663 2011
658.4′012–dc22
2010029934
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
15 14 13 12 11
Typeset in 10/12.5pt Sabon by 35
Printed by Ashford Colour Press Ltd., Gosport
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To the memory of my mother Auriel
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Brief contents
List of boxes xv
List of tables xvi
Preface xvii
1 Strategic management in perspective: a step in the professionalisation
of management 2
2 Thinking about strategy and organisational change: the implicit
assumptions distinguishing one theory from another 26
Part 1 Systemic ways of thinking about strategy and
organisational dynamics
3 The origins of systems thinking in the Age of Reason 46
4 Thinking in terms of strategic choice: cybernetic systems,
cognitivist and humanistic psychology 64
5 Thinking in terms of organisational learning and knowledge
creation: systems dynamics, cognitivist, humanistic and
constructivist psychology 98

6 Thinking in terms of organisational psychodynamics: open systems
and psychoanalytic perspectives 126
7 Thinking about strategy process from a systemic perspective:
using a process to control a process 148
8 A review of systemic ways of thinking about strategy and
organisational dynamics: key challenges for alternative
ways of thinking 172
9 Extending and challenging the dominant discourse on organisations:
thinking about participation and practice 198
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viii Brief contents
Part 2 The challenge of complexity to ways of thinking
10 The complexity sciences: the sciences of uncertainty 234
11 Systemic applications of complexity sciences to organisations:
restating the dominant discourse 262
Part 3 Complex responsive processes as a way of thinking
about strategy and organisational dynamics
12 Responsive processes thinking: the interplay of intentions 296
13 The emergence of organisational strategy in local communicative
interaction: complex responsive processes of conversation 328
14 The link between the local communicative interaction of strategising
and the population-wide patterns of strategy 350
15 The emergence of organisational strategy in local communicative
interaction: complex responsive processes of ideology and
power relating 374
16 Different modes of articulating patterns of interaction emerging
across organisations: strategy narratives and models 398
17 Complex responsive processes of strategising: acting locally on
the basis of global goals, visions, expectations and intentions for
the ‘whole’ organisation over the ‘long-term future’ 434
18 Complex responsive processes: implications for thinking about
organisational dynamics and strategy 464
References 496

Index 521
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Contents
List of boxes xv
List of tables xvi
Preface xvii
1 Strategic management in perspective: a step in the professionalisation
of management 2
1.1 Introduction 2
1.2 The origins of modern concepts of strategic management:
the new role of leader 6
1.3 Ways of thinking: stable global structures and fluid local interactions 15
1.4 Outline of the book 20
Further reading 25
Questions to aid further reflection 25
2 Thinking about strategy and organisational change: the implicit
assumptions distinguishing one theory from another 26
2.1 Introduction 26
2.2 The phenomena of interest: dynamic human organisations 27
2.3 Making sense of the phenomena: realism, relativism and idealism 31
2.4 Four question s to ask in comparing theories of organisational
strategy and change 36
Further reading 38
Questions to aid further reflection 38
Part 1 Systemic ways of thinking about strategy and
organisational dynamics
3 The origins of systems thinking in the Age of Reason 46
3.1 Introduction 47
3.2 The Scientific Revolution and rational objectivity 48
3.3 The eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant:
natural systems and autonomous individuals 50